Developer: Gust Co. Ltd. Platform: PlayStation 2 The premise: Ar Tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica takes place on floating land that resembles a giant helicopter, hovering above a world that was forged from a young girl's heart. The goal of the group of heroes is to follow an ancient legend in order to discover the lost Song of Metafalica. It gets weirder: The main characters in Ar Tonelico II are magic users that need to periodically have crystals inserted directly into their bodies in order to not die on the spot. In order to advance your skills and magical abilities, it was required to play through an alternate universe plot (taking place entirely within the character's head,) in order to open up the mind to new spells. The battling is centred around making special sounds, and inner emotions are the key to both saving friends and defeating enemies. It's... unique to say the least, and Ar Tonelico is an oddity even in the weird and wonderful world of JRPGs.
